It is a well established fact that the primary cause of serious injury to the motor vehicle occupants in a crash or sudden stop is the "human collision" or second impact whereas the severity, is more pronounced when the occupant is a disabled wheelchair occupant. An effective occupant protection system must provide both wheelchair securement and an integrated occupant restraint system.
The securement device is best if it can accommodate for all various wheelchair wheel diameters or wheel distances.
The ideal would be an automatic securement device which would secure all wheelchairs regardless of the wheel size or wheel distance.
Although there is an automatic wheelchair holding device entering the market; but it requires modification and extra steel attachments to the wheelchairs in order to make them capable of utilizing the vehicle device, The idea has not received enthusiastic response from the wheelchair manufacturers or the disable users of the wheelchairs.
My present invention is providing a universal securement device to be used in vehicles for public transit or private for wheelchairs regardless of the wheel diameters or wheel distances.
My present invention is designed to deal with crash-level forces and with adherence to established crash-worthiness design principles.
My invention provides automatic push button reachable by hand in front of the wheelchair occupant for engagement or release of the securement device. My invention provides an auxiliary push button with the indicating light operable by the driver of the vehicle to indicate on off mode of the device.
My invention does not require any modification or special attachments to the wheelchairs in order to make them accessible to the securement device.